Cameroon International Film Festival Opens Masterclass Series with Acting Workshop Led by Song Nestor
- Ryan
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 20 hours ago
As part of its masterclass programme, CIFF 2026 launches an acting session led by Song Nestor, focusing on the essential principles of character work, emotional truth, and technical discipline in screen acting.
The Cameroon International Film Festival officially launched its masterclass programme with an acting workshop led by actor and trainer Song Nestor, setting an interactive and practice-driven tone for the training sessions.
In his session titled Path to Becoming a Good Actor, Nestor guided participants through foundational principles of performance, challenging them to approach acting with discipline, curiosity, and critical thinking.
He encouraged actors to deeply interrogate scripts and character choices, repeatedly emphasizing the importance of analysis before performance. “Question everything,” he told participants.
Nestor outlined several core performance principles that actors must master in order to fully develop their craft:
Understanding Character Origin
Actors must understand where a character comes from, including their background, aspirations, fears, desires, preferences, age, and environment. He explained that even external cues—such as clothing, colour choices, and setting—can provide insight into a character’s social and economic status, while cultural identity also shapes behaviour and expression.
Relationships and Emotional Connectivity
Nestor stressed the importance of understanding a character’s relationships. How a character interacts with others defines emotional truth on screen and shapes believable performance.
Determination and Commitment
He emphasized that actors must be fully committed to embodying a role regardless of how demanding or time-consuming it may be. “You must be determined to become a character no matter how tedious it seems,” he noted.
Characterisation and Emotional Control
According to Nestor, characterisation is one of the most essential skills in acting. It involves fully becoming the character, mastering emotional control, and ensuring consistency in performance. He explained that only after thoroughly breaking down a character should rehearsal begin.
Technical Discipline
Nestor also highlighted technical precision, noting that good actors must listen actively, react truthfully, deliver lines with intention, and respect timing and cues within a scene.
The session evolved into an engaging dialogue, with participants asking questions around method acting, staging, and performance preparation both on and off set. African cinema references, including Kang Quintus’s performance in The Fisherman’s Diary, were cited during discussion.
The workshop concluded with practical demonstrations from Nestor, creating a dynamic, hands-on learning environment. Participants described the experience as highly impactful, with feedback highlighting the interactive nature of the class and its role in reshaping their understanding of acting. One attendee noted appreciation for engaging with “inquisitive young people,” while another described the session as “exceptional.”
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